Which Nations Will Have the Most UEFA Champions League Slots Next Season?

The ongoing 2024/25 UEFA Champions League format brought sweeping changes that rocked European football. Away went the eight groups of four that supporters had become so accustomed to, instead being replaced with an enlarged 36-team initial league phase and an additional knockout round following that. The results spoke for themselves, with excitement right the way through the newly-created league phase, culminating with Manchester City’s thrilling comeback victory against Club Brugge on matchday eight to secure the Blues’ progression.

Inter and PSG Will Meet in Munich

Since then, the knockout rounds have thrown up plenty of thrillers, but it’s Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain that have managed to outlast the 34 other teams that qualified for the tournament. Following semi-final victories against Barcelona and Arsenal, respectively, they will now contest the final in Munich with the grandest prize in club football on the line.

The upcoming showdown promises to be a thrilling affair, and online gambling sites think it could go either way. The latest Champions League odds from the popular Bovada gambling site

currently make PSG the narrow -145 favorites, and perhaps that is no surprise. The Parisians have arguably the best player in the world on current form in their ranks in the form of Ousmane Dembele, while the supporting cast of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabian Ruiz, and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma ensures that they will take some beating. Luckily for their opponents, the Nerazzurri have a staunch defence anchored by Alessandro Bastoni, and they will be hoping he can neutralize a stacked PSG forward line.

But once the curtain comes down on the current campaign and a champion has been crowned, attention will almost immediately turn toward next season. Qualifiers for the 2025/25 edition of the tournament are set to get underway on July 8th, barely a month after this season’s Munich showpiece has concluded. But which nations will have the most representatives in the tournament next term? Let’s find out.

England – Six

England’s Premier League will have an unprecedented six teams featuring in the UEFA Champions League next season – a new record. They were set to receive four teams at the start of the season, regardless of how the campaign progressed. However, courtesy of the performances of English in Europe this term, that number was boosted to five. Then, both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the final of the Europa League, with the winner of that automatically securing a spot in the Champions League next season, taking the total up to six.

Whoever wins that upcoming contest in Bilbao will secure their spot at the most elite table in European football next season. So too will Liverpool, who have already been confirmed as Premier League champions. Then, the teams ranked from second to fifth in the top flight will also secure their spots.

Currently, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest are all in with a chance of finishing in the top five. Four will join Liverpool and either Spurs or Man Utd in the Champions League next term, while the remaining two must settle for a spot in the Europa League.

Spain – Five

Like England, Spain was also supposed to get four spots in the tournament next season, regardless of performances in 2024/25. However, with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao making deep runs in the Champions League and Europa League, as well as Real Betis reaching the Conference League final, they will see their number of participants next season increased to five.

Following their 4-3 El Clasico victory against Real Madrid, Barcelona look set to be crowned champions of Spain. Los Blancos will join them in the Champions League next season as La Liga runners-up, as will third-placed Atletico Madrid. The final two spots are undecided, with Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal, and Real Betis battling it out. One will have to settle for the Europa League next term.

Italy, Germany, & France – Four

The rest of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues will all have four spots each in the Champions League next term. It makes a stark contrast from this season, where both Italy and Germany had five teams in the tournament.

In Serie A, Inter Milan and Napoli’s fight for the Scudetto is going down to the wire. The latter currently leads the former by just one point, but regardless of who emerges with the title, both will be in the Champions League next season. They will likely be joined by Atalanta, who need to win just spot is underway, with Juventus in fourth and Milan all the way down in ninth, separated by just four points.

In Germany, Bayern Munich reclaimed their Bundesliga crown and will be in the UCL as German champions next season. Bayer Leverkusen will join them as runners-up, as will any two from Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, and Borussia Dortmund.

Paris Saint-Germain are France’s leading light, and they have been crowned Ligue 1 champions once more this season. They will be joined in the Champions League next term by Marseille and Monaco.